After many months working on a long list of improvements, the NCTSN is proud to unveil its new Learning Center website on July 13. On top of better speed and performance, this upgraded and updated version has three major improvements:

New interface that is mobile compatible and more

user-friendly

New site organization

Better search functionality

One of our primary goals is to improve our user learning experience. So please check it out and send us your feedback!

Do you know a toddler who can be unusually aggressive or easily frustrated? A school-aged child who is frequently distracted in class or a teenager who struggles to focus on more than one activity at a time? If so, have you ever wondered if this child might have ADHD? In this podcast, Beth Barto, LMHC, interviews Heather C. Forkey, MD as she explains how children exposed to traumatic events can exhibit symptoms that overlap with ADHD and, in some cases, could result in inaccurate diagnosis. Dr. Forkey will then suggest ways to talk about impulsive and disruptive behaviors with school staff and pediatricians to make sure that a child gets the services s/he needs.

The Professional Counselor: Special Issue—Counseling Children with Special Needs and Circumstances. The Spring 2015 issue (Volume 5, Issue 2) of The Professional Counselor (TPC) Digest is a special issue dedicated to Counseling Children with Special Needs and Circumstances. NCTSN members may be particularly interested in “Children with Special Needs: Conceptualization Through a Complex Trauma Lens,” “Addressing the Needs of Students Experiencing Homelessness: School Counselor Preparation,” "Trauma and Treatment in Early Childhood: A Review of the Historical and Emerging Literature for Counselors," and "All Foreign-Born Adoptees Are Not the Same: What Counselors and Parents Need to Know" among others.

TPC Digest is a nontechnical summary of each article published in The Professional Counselor. Each one-to-two page summary includes a link to the full article and references. TPC is the official, peer-reviewed, open source, electronic journal of the National Board for Certified Counselors publishing original manuscripts relating to: mental and behavioral health counseling; school counseling; career counseling; couples, marriage, and family counseling; counseling supervision; theory development; professional counseling ethics; international counseling and multicultural issues; program applications; and integrative reviews from counseling and related fields.

Network Colleagues Alison Salloum, Michael Scheeringa, Judith Cohen, and Eric Storch are co-authors of Development of Stepped Care Trauma—Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Young Children published in Cognitive Behavioral Practice (Volume 21, Issue 1). This treatment development article describes considerations taken into account when developing a stepped care model for young children exposed to trauma; specifically, it addresses the therapeutic approach, types of steps, numbers of steps, training of providers, entry point, and inclusion of parents. Authors described the stepped care model called Stepped Care TF-CBT, which includes Step One, Maintenance Phase, and Step Two. In addition, authors discussed issues such as noncompliance, determining responder status, and monitoring treatment, flexibility, and implementation. They present a case example to illustrate Stepped Care TF-CBT. Potentially, Stepped Care TF-CBT may serve as a model for developing and testing stepped care approaches to treating other types of childhood psychiatric disorders. Without delivery methods that provide effective, accessible, and affordable treatment to children at an early age, young children with PTSD are at risk for a developmental trajectory of impairment and chronic distress that not only places an undue burden on the child, but also imposes

Network Colleagues Gertrud Sofie Hafstada, Grete Dyba, Tine Jensena, Alan Steinberg, and Robert Pynoos are co-authors of PTSD Prevalence and Symptom Structure of DSM-5 Criteria in Adolescents and Young Adults Surviving the 2011 Shooting in Norway in the Journal of Affective Disorders (Volume 169, December 2014 Supplement). The study evaluated the prevalence of PTSD according to DSM-5 criteria among a large group of demographically and culturally similar youth exposed to the same catastrophic life-threatening circumstance. The study employed face-to-face semi-structured interviews of 325 survivors in their homes by clinicians trained in the assessment of posttraumatic stress symptoms among adolescents and young adults. Authors found that the new items for the DSM-5 within the new D category are both relevant and operating well when diagnosing adolescents and young adults.

This NCTSN hosted pre-conference event of the MCEC 17th National Training Seminar is a MUST NOT MISS event. Learn from leading experts in the fields of child trauma, and military and veteran family programs. These professionals will discuss the latest research and clinical programs available to support the behavioral health of servicemembers, veterans, and their families through interviews and "Ted-like" talks on issues such as deployment, trauma, and loss; meeting intervention needs of military children; the voice of the military child; combat veteran paradox; child maltreatment; military sexual assault; working with military and veteran parents, and much more.

The 2015 National Training Seminar is a globally-recognized, premier training event for anyone interested in serving and supporting military-connected children. The event provides a unique opportunity for our more than 700 attendees to engage with senior military and education leaders. This seminar provides in-depth coverage of current issues relevant to military-connected children during a period of significant change and challenge.

Our 2015 speakers will present sessions on a variety of topics of interest to the MCEC audience and feature sessions reflecting our 2015 NTS content stands: Character Development, Systems of Support, and

Academics and Innovation. All presentations will place an emphasis on measurable results while demonstrat-ing effectiveness and relevance. Our sessions and speakers will move beyond entry-level awareness and will offer the audience innovative ideas, active hands-on learning, and share critical information relevant to the professional development of educators and military professionals who are dedicated to serving the military-connected child.

For the list of amazing speakers and more information on the MCEC Seminar click here>>

5th Biennial Trauma Conference—October 1-2, 2015

Addressing Trauma across the Lifespan: Intervention, Culture, and Policy

Sponsoring Agency: The Family Center at Kennedy Krieger Institute

Location: Baltimore Maryland

The 5th Biennial Trauma Conference sponsored by the Family Center at Kennedy Krieger Institute is an op-portunity for professionals working with trauma survivors across the lifespan in direct service, public policy, or-ganizational management, advocacy, and community support programs to expand their knowledge-base and enhance their clinical repertoires in the field of trauma. Addressing Trauma across the Lifespan: Interven-tion, Culture, and Policy seeks to raise awareness of the importance of culture, the development of trauma-informed public and organizational policies, and the use of trauma-informed and evidence-supported interven-tions through culturally-relevant discussion, strategies, policy implications, practical tools, and resources on con-temporary trauma topics.